


Blue Moon

by Greenlady



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-19
Updated: 2010-09-19
Packaged: 2017-10-12 00:12:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/118697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Greenlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On New Year's Eve 2009 there was a Blue Moon. In Superman's universe, this event changed the world forever.</p><p>Written December 31, 2009.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Moon

Blue Moon  
**********

Clark scuttled from one doorway to another. All doorways looked the same -- broken and filthy. But, across this doorway Clark had strung a spider web, fine enough to be almost invisible. He hoped this old device would be too low-tech for the Kryptonians to notice, and, to all appearances, it was intact and untouched. Still, he entered the building with all his senses alert, and his weapons ready.

His hidey hole was safe, though, for at least one more night. That's all New Year's Eve was now, he thought. Just another night. Even this particular New Year's Eve -- the Blue Moon. The singular event of two full moons in one month, the second full moon falling on New Year's Eve. Hurrah!

Clark thought back to the beginning of this year. Everything had seemed so hopeful. His career had been going well. His relationship with Lois Lane had been deepening. And then disaster had struck. Zod and his friends had attacked Earth, and their power had been more than Clark and his team could resist. Clark was strong, but Zod was just as strong, and older and more wily. Also, he had freed other Kryptonian criminals from the Phantom Zone. Clark had worked with Oliver Queen and his allies, but they didn't have enough strength and power to fight such a force.

Oliver was dead. Chloe was dead. Aquaman was dead. Lois was dead. Martha Kent was missing and presumed dead.

Lex Luthor was dead, too. And that truth opened up a whole world of pain for Clark.

Clark remembered the day Lex had come to him, pleading for Clark to work with him to fight the forces of Zod. He had begged Clark to put aside their differences, just long enough to free the people of Earth. Clark had considered it, but Oliver and Chloe had persuaded him to turn Lex down.

'We can't trust him,' said Oliver. 'How do we know he's not working with Zod? Tess was.'

'Lex would never work with Zod,' said Clark.

'He did once,' said Chloe.

'Zod took over his body,' Clark reminded her. 'That's one reason why I know he'd never work with him. He hated what Zod did, in his body. I know that much.'

But the rest of their team also refused to work with Lex, and so Clark rejected him, too. A few days later, Lex was captured by Zod's forces, and tortured. He refused to reveal any plans of the Human Resistance, and Zod ordered him to be crucified. It had taken him a week to die. Clark had wanted to mount a rescue mission, but the others convinced him it would be too dangerous. Clark had lain awake night after night, listening to Lex's incoherent babblings. He had spoken of his mother, of how she had killed his baby brother, of how he had protected her, of how his father had hated him, of how he'd longed for his father's love and Clark's friendship, and Lana's love. On and on he'd spoken of these things, but not a word about the work of the Resistance, even when Zod himself had shown up to torment him with offers of amnesty and cool water.

That had been six months ago. The Resistance was almost non-existent, now. Lex's sacrifice had been in vain. Clark stayed as far away from the remaining members as possible, hoping to protect them by his absence.

Clark sat on the old, bare wooden floor of the abandoned building he now called home. He gazed out the window on the rising moon. The Blue Moon. A star gleamed in the night sky, and Clark felt a foolish lift of hope. He could wish upon the star, he thought. Wish for a better world.

'I wish the Kryptonians were defeated,' he whispered. 'And the world were made new again.' Then he sighed, curled up in a dark corner, and fell asleep.

It was the explosions that woke him, who knew how many hours later. They lit up the sky with joyful colours. Clark wondered if it were some new signal among the Kryptonians. Perhaps Zod had totally defeated the Resistance, and Clark was now without any allies. He sat up, slid back over to the window, and looked out.

The street was full of people, dancing and cheering. The streets themselves were brightly lit. Curtains hung in the windows, which were no longer broken. The building he was currently hiding in no longer smelt dirty and diseased. It was no longer dark, but brightly lit.

'Superman!' someone called. 'We want Superman!'

Superman? Who was that? Clark got to his feet, and looked down at his own body. He was clothed, not in his dark coat, but in a brightly coloured costume. A bright gold Kryptonian symbol blazed upon his chest.

'There he is!' someone shouted. People were pointing to the window. 'Superman!' they called. 'Fly for us. Let us see you fly.'

As if in a dream, Clark leapt from the window, to the cheers of the crowd. He flew overhead, and the people gasped and laughed and cheered some more. Far off across the city, he could see the hated tower of LuthorCorp, like the Dark Tower of Mordor. There had reigned Zod and his crew, supported by Tess and her minions. Now it was lit from top to bottom. A gigantic Christmas Tree decorated the square outside. The Penthouse, which had been Zod's domain, gleamed like a jewel in the night sky.

Clark landed on the balcony, softly as a cat. Someone was inside, talking on a cell phone. It was Lex Luthor. Lex was alive! How was this?

Lex glanced out the balcony doors. He beamed a smile, and said something into the phone. Something that sounded like, 'He's home, Martha. We'll call you later.'

But that could not be true.

Lex threw open the doors, and swept out to join Clark on the balcony. 'It's quite a night, isn't it?' he said. 'Look at all the fireworks. The first New Year's Eve since the Liberation. The whole damned planet is celebrating.'

Clark stood silent.

'What's wrong?' Lex asked. 'Did something happen on patrol? Someone whose life you couldn't save? No. Never mind. Just come inside for now. Martha and Chloe are coming over later. But for now, we're all alone. Come in, Clark. Come in.'

Clark followed Lex inside. He let Lex push him down into a chair. He let Lex put a cup of coffee into his hand.

'There!' said Lex. 'That's better. Just sit there for now. Let me deal with some business. No. Don't worry. Not serious business. Details, that's all. Tomorrow is New Year's Day. All the world governments have agreed that the human race can return to normal on that day. All the special forces will be disbanded. Restrictions on food and other consumption will be lifted…. It's a great day all around.'

'Yes,' said Clark, softly. 'A great day.'

'What is wrong? Clark? Tell me what happened.'

'I… I just don't know what to believe,' said Clark. 'This… this is all a shock.'

'A shock? I know,' said Lex. 'Post traumatic stress disorder. Very post traumatic. You handled everything so well at the time, that no one suspected you suffered from it. And now that everything is back to normal…. That's it, isn't it? Don't worry, I'll take care of that.'

He straddled Clark's lap. Wound his arms around Clark's neck.

'What are you doing?' asked Clark.

'If you don't know, I must be losing my touch,' said Lex. 'More practice, that's what I need.' He bent, and ravished Clark's mouth with his own. 'Remember that night a year ago? We were on the run from Zod, cold and wet and starving. We found a cave to hide in, and we lay down together to get warm. One thing led to another, and we lay together as lovers, for the first time. We made a vow, to fight side by side, and not ever to surrender, and we kept that vow. We gathered the Resistance and defeated Zod, and here we are. Let us remember that first night, forever.'

Clark closed his eyes, and tried to picture in his mind a night in a cave that he had no memory of. 'Yes,' he whispered. 'I will remember.'

Lex grabbed his hair, and pulled his face close to his own. He almost snarled into Clark's ear, 'We fought back, Clark. We didn't give in. Terrible things happened, I know, and some of those things were committed by our side, but we fought back. We are no longer the slaves of Zod, but free people. Do you regret that? Can you ever regret that? Terrible things happen in every war, but some wars are justified. We could never have won the war by hiding and telling ourselves we were holy and special. Ask those people out there on the street if they want to go back to the way things were a year ago. Ask them!'

'I don't have to ask them,' said Clark. 'I know.'

'Good!' said Lex. 'Now, let's celebrate before your mother and Chloe show up to interrupt us.'

He pushed Clark back in the chair. His arms were strong, stronger than most humans. He stood, and looked down at Clark's prone body. 'That's better,' he smiled. 'But it would be even better than that, if you took off your clothes.'

***********

It was long after midnight. Long after the last New Year's Eve revel was finished. Almost dawn, in fact. Clark woke, and went to the window. He looked out upon the full moon, the Blue Moon. It was fading, dying, surrendering to the faint light coming up in the East from the rising sun.

Was this world a better place, truly? Clark wondered. He hadn't enough data by which to judge. Certainly they had beaten Zod and his cohorts, but by what means? Had he himself committed atrocities in this reality? Could he live with them if he learned what they had been? Would it have been better to suffer and die in that other existence?

When the Blue Moon surrendered to the Sun, what world would remain? This one, or his old one? Which world was best?

The Blue Moon was almost gone. The Sun was rising. When he turned from the window, which world would he see?

The last faint sliver of the moon vanished, defeated by the bright light of day….

***The End***


End file.
